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The Westby man was beginning to realize some of those dreams the past three years as he raced in ARCA, a national racing circuit used by teams to develop young drivers.
Now, he’s hanging on the edge for a different reason. He’s wondering where, or if, he’ll be driving in 2009. His main sponsor in 2008, Glock — a worldwide manufacturer of handguns — has been noncommittal for next season.
“Mr. Glock was supposed to come over here, but he has been sick. Sick enough to be in the hospital,” Bean said of 79-year-old Gaston Glock, the owner of Glock handguns, which is headquartered in Austria. “They have told us we might have to put everything on hold.
“They said if there is another opportunity that comes along, don’t hesitate or wait around for us. Mr. Glock is not in shape to come over there (United States).”
Bean is still holding out hope that Glock will come through with sponsorship in 2009, but in the meantime he’s pursing any — and all — options. That may even include jump-starting the family-owned BlackJack Racing Team.
“We still have all of our stuff. I took a couple of cars and three or four of our motors to Mooresville (N.C.) to Team Glock this year,” Bean said. “We did sell the big hauler.
“If we have to (start up the family team), that is the contingency plan. Right now we’re trying to get to Daytona, the first big race of the year (in February), then it’s two months before the next race.”
In the meantime, Bean is back home in Westby, working the phones for sponsors and getting ready for some deer hunting. There wasn’t much happening at Jeff Spreker’s race shop in Mooresville — which is where Team Glock worked out of — so Bean thought his time would be better spent pursuing sponsorship.
“It is tough out there. That is the way it is nowadays. It doesn’t matter as much with your driving skills as how much money or sponsorship you can bring to the team,” Bean said. “NASCAR has turned over to a big money sport. If you can bring the dollars, you drive.”
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